1. Major military invasion in every century since the Viking founding of Kievan Rus.
2. Brutal autocratic governments regardless of the nominal label
3. Modernization: two steps forward, two steps back.
4. European and Asian influence on all aspects of society. Scratch a Russian, you'll find a Mongol
5. World Class Cities v. Rural Country Villages. St. Petersburg v. the Russian steppes
6. Russian v. ethnic minority demographics; vodka, lifespans, and the declining birthrate of the Russian family
